


Catch me if you can

by brooklyn_724



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-27
Updated: 2016-12-29
Packaged: 2018-09-12 15:26:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9078667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brooklyn_724/pseuds/brooklyn_724
Summary: Alec Lightwood is a compassionate and generous young man. So when a beggar asks for money, how could he say no? But Alec's kind and generous heart costs him everything when the beggar turned out to be a thief. Magnus Bane works for an organisation higher up than himself. The job involves stealing, scamming, and selling his stolen items. Magnus Bane, disguised as a beggar, steals everything from Alec Lightwood, including his engagement ring to Lydia Branwell. In an attempt to regain his possessions, Alec tracks Magnus throughout New York. But Magnus is always two steps ahead. Enough steps ahead to risk a few flirtatious remarks. So will Alec succeed? Will Magnus succeed? Or will they both find something they had never been looking for.





	1. The Beggar

The sun drowned in the horizon, the sky painted an array of pink, orange and yellow, the clouds promising a calm, peaceful night, and the pale glow of the moon peeking out through the clouds and into the darkening summer’s sky. Alec wandered alone through the chaotic streets of New York, passing by youthful thrill seekers as they searched for an appropriate night club to get drunk in. Shoulders clashed and murmured apologies echoed through the streets. The exhaustion in Alec’s eyes were more than clear as he staggered towards his apartment block, the weight of living crushing his bones and supporting the dark voices at the back of his head saying: _give it up, is it worth it?_

He felt his phone buzz in his pocket — which rarely ever happened unless it was his younger sister, Isabelle. So Alec knew that the quiet and peaceful night he had been promising himself all day, was as good as gone. He answered the phone in a heartbeat nonetheless, quick to transform his exhaustion into a somewhat happier tone of voice.

“Izzy” he greeted, smiling into the phone in order to trick himself into feeling happy. “What’s up?”.

“What do you mean, what’s _up?!”_ she practically yelled. “When were you planning on telling me that you were going to propose to Lydia?!”.

“Oh” is all Alec managed to say before Isabelle’s excitement screamed it’s way through the phone. 

She went on and on about how happy she was that Alec was finally going to seal the deal with someone and prepare to spend the rest of his life with someone who could keep him safe. Not that he needed someone to keep him safe. Isabelle was just very protective. She then went on and on about decoration, which if Alec was being honest with himself, he hadn’t even thought about. He was starting to think that it wasn’t even his wedding at all, the way Isabelle was carrying on, it sounded like hers. 

“—but I do have to ask you one thing” she said, finally giving Alec the chance to contribute to the conversation. “Are you sure you want to marry Lydia? I mean, I know you hate me asking. But do you _really_ love her? Are you really _happy_?”.

“Yes, Izzy” Alec said, opening the front door to his apartment block. “I love her and I want to marry her. Why else would I plan to propose to her? Which is also something I wanted to talk to you about, Lydia might still say no, so don’t get too excited, okay?”.

“As if she would say no!” Isabelle laughed. “Very funny, Alec!”.

Alec rolled his eyes.

“Okay, but when exactly are you going to ask her?” Isabelle asked. 

“New Years Eve” Alec replied.

Isabelle squealed into the phone, causing Alec to pull it away from his ear slightly. He climbed up the several flight of stairs towards his apartment, patiently listening to his sister’s excited rants. 

Just as he turned to climb up the last flight of stairs, he caught sight of a poor beggar. He was sitting on the first step, a pleading look in his eyes. Dirty rags covered him from neck to toe, a strange aroma intoxicating the air around him. Alec had seen many beggars in his life time — New York had plenty of them. But something about this man seemed off. He was young, handsome and in an apartment building. But Alec felt pity nonetheless. 

“Hey, Iz, I’ve got to go” he said, his eyes never leaving the beggar. “But I’ll call you back, alright?”.

“Ugh, fine” Isabelle groaned. “Bye, love you!”.

“Bye” Alec said.

B _eep,_ his sister hung up.

As he lowered his phone back into his pocket, the beggar opened his mouth to speak.

“You wouldn’t have any spare change for a beggar, would you?” he asked.

Alec reached into his pocket, desperately searching for any change that he could spare. But there was none. He’d spent the last of it on his cup of coffee that morning. 

“I don’t, I’m sorry” he said. “But I might have some in my apartment.”

The beggar’s eyes lit up. “Oh please, kind sir, I haven’t eaten in a week.”

Alec nodded and hurried up the last flight of steps before his apartment, calling for the beggar to follow him. Room 872, Alec’s apartment and in each and every sense, his _home._ He couldn't wait to feel the familiarity of the room and feel the comfort that his apartment provided him with. He was exhausted, the day’s work had practically drained the life out of him. He knew that as soon as he paid the beggar, he could take a nap, cook dinner, and prepare for work the next day. His girlfriend, Lydia, was currently out of town for work. But she was to return on New Years Eve, the day Alec planned to propose. 

“Come in” Alec said to the beggar, opening his door wide in order to seem inviting.

The man entered eagerly, his eyes quick to absorb the many objects surrounding them. Photo frames littered the walls and book shelves practically took up the entire space of the apartment. Alec left the beggar alone in the living room for a few minutes whilst he searched for any spare change he’d left around the house. The beggar took this opportunity to slip a few things into his rags and pockets. A gold ring on the dining table was the first of many things to capture his attention. It looked like real gold. The kind of gold that would sell for thousands of dollars in the black market. The beggar didn’t even hesitate, he simply slipped the ring inside his pocket and turned around expectantly as soon as Alec re-entered the room.

“I have fifty dollars here” he said, smiling kindly as he handed the money over to the seemingly poor man.

“Thank you, kind sir” the beggar smiled.

“Wait, you’re hungry, right?” Alec asked.

The beggar nodded.

Alec left the room again to venture into the kitchen. There was leftover Chinese food from the other night, food that to the beggar, would seem like a feast. He took the tubs of Chinese food out of the fridge and handed it to the beggar, his compassion and kindness overwhelming the poor man.

“Thank you, sir” he said.

Alec smiled. “Please, call me Alec.”

“I’m Mag-Martin” the beggar said, hesitating slightly before holding out his hand. 

Alec shook it. “I hope life works out for you.”

“You too” the beggar smiled.

Before long, Alec lead the poor man out the door and wished him well. He felt good about himself, glad that he could do some good in the world despite the fact that the world was rarely doing any good for him. Exhaustion overcame him and he completely forgot to call Isabelle back. Instead, he collapsed onto the couch and fell asleep.

 

**

 

When he awoke, he felt an agonising pain in his back, as if he’d been lying on a plank of wood for too long. Splinters pierced themselves into his arms and a torturous headache pounded inside his head. As his eyes slowly adjusted to the bright morning light, he slowly began to realise that his living room had been emptied and he had been sleeping on the wooden floor. He was too tired to react like a normal person would. Instead, he sat up calmly and looked into the kitchen. His shelves had also been emptied and a small note had been left on the dining table. He wandered over slowly, rubbing at his eyes in case his vision wasn’t clear. 

T he note read: _Thank you for your belongings, pretty boy. I know you said to call you Alec, but pretty boy suits you better. It was either that, or kind sir. But we’re not in the 1920’s anymore. Also, I hope that gold ring of yours isn’t anything special. I’m going to get a lot of money for that._

_— lots of love and sexual attraction, the poor beggar._

This was when Alec began to panic. _The Ring._ The expensive engagement ring that he had planned to give to Lydia this weekend. It was gone. _Everything_ was gone. He couldn’t believe it. How could this happen to him? He hadn’t wronged the beggar at all. In fact, he’d been so kind to him. Most people would have just left him out on the streets. He didn’t even have a phone to call the police. The beggar, Martin, if that was even his real name, had taken literally everything. 

Before panic took over him completely, he ran outside and knocked on his neighbours door. He had no clue of what time it was. But by the look on his tired neighbours face, he assumed it was far  _too_ early. 

“I’m sorry for waking you, Raj. But I’ve been robbed. I need to use your phone to call the police” he explained, hoping that his neighbour would feel compassionate enough to let him in.

And thankfully, Raj felt some compassion and allowed him to use the phone. Alec called the police and reported the burglary straight away, explaining the whole situation with the beggar, including the note. When the police arrived, they spent about two hours exploring the apartment and taking necessary photos. The only problem was, there was no sign of a break in. And the only evidence that the ‘beggar’ left was the note. This lead the NYPD to believe that the beggar, wasn’t in fact a beggar at all. They believe he was an experienced criminal, a scammer. Alec couldn’t believe that this had happened to him. Of all people, him. He was just trying to be kind — and look where that got him. 

He used Raj’s phone to call Isabelle. She was there in no time, offering him her support and a comforting arm to lean on. She was just as upset and angry as Alec was, maybe even more so. They sat together in Alec’s apartment, completely drained and feeling as though their whole world had been turned upside down. It wasn’t ideal at all.

“Karma will get him” Isabelle assured her brother. “What goes around comes around.”

“I don’t know, Iz” Alec sighed. “I was doing good…and I got bad. How is that supposed to be fair?”.

“The world is a strange place” Isabelle admitted. “But-“.

“But nothing” Alec interrupted, shaking his head. “I want this bastard to rot in hell.”

“Whoa” Isabelle said, raising an eyebrow. “Just calm down, okay?”.

Alec rolled his eyes. How was he supposed to calm down? Everything he owned, literally _everything_ was gone. This wasn’t like a normal robbery where just a few things were gone. He lost everything. But most importantly, he’d lost the engagement ring that he’d spent a year and a half saving up for. He knew Lydia would love it, the pure Gold and the diamond carvings. But now she would never get to see it because some grubby looking scammer took what didn’t belong to him. It was practically impossible for him to just _calm_ down. 

“The police will find him, okay?” Isabelle said, her tone gentle. “He’ll be locked up for a long time and you’ll be able to get all of your things back. Everything will work itself out.”

“I’ll never get the ring back” Alec said blankly.

“You don’t know tha-“.

“He’s probably already sold it” Alec went on. “He’ll be a rich son of a bitch.”

“Alec” Isabelle said firmly, moving around to sit directly in front of him. She grabbed his hands, squeezing them tightly in an attempt to reassure him that everything _was_ going to be fine. “You didn’t deserve this. And I get that you’re angry, but you can’t let this break you.”

Alec looked at his sister with a certain fondness that he could never share with anyone else. She was always there for him. The first to arrive and the last to leave. She was the only person that he could ever _really_ trust. And he was glad that he had her. Without her, he probably would have already broken eighteen United State laws. 

“You’re right” he said, shaking his head apologetically. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be” she whispered lovingly. “I love you, big bro.”

“I love you too, Izzy” he smiled, pulling her in for an affectionate hug. “I couldn’t do this without you.”

 

**

 

Magnus Bane entered his loft with a shit eating grin on his face, a grin that let both Ragnor and Catarina know that he had succeeded in his robbery. He twirled a golden ring in his hands excitedly — knowing full well that his two best friends would silence their inevitable questions and stare at the money making ring in the palm of his hands. 

“Well thats a stunner” Ragnor observed.

“Is that real gold?” Catarina asked. 

“Sure is” Magnus said cheerfully. “Real diamonds too.”

“Bloody hell” Ragnor gasped.

“We’re gonna be rich!” Catarina squealed. "Well, your boss is gonna be rich. But same thing!".

“There’s a whole truck outside filled with everything I stole” Magnus beamed. “We’re gonna be more than rich. We’ll probably be the King’s and Queen’s of the world.”

Ragnor, who was still in shock over the beauty of the ring, shook his head. “I thought you were just trying to get some change for the train tickets we had discussed.”

“Yes well” Magnus pulled out the fifty dollars Alec had given him. “The pretty boy I stole from invited me into his home. He thought I was a beggar, what an innocent young man. He gave me fifty bucks and well — he practically invited me to steal everything.”

“Magnus” Catarina frowned. “You took everything?”.

Magnus raised an eyebrow. “Yes. Is there a problem?”.

“He was good to you” Catarina said. “You shouldn’t have taken _everything._ ”

“Look, the kid is a dumb fool” Magnus said. “Everyone knows you don’t invite a stranger inside your home. I taught him a life long lesson.”

Catarina crossed her arms over chest. “We agreed that you’d only steal little things from good people, and take everything from rich assholes.”

“Please don’t make me feel bad” Magnus said, frowning. “I already feel bad as it is.”

“You do?” Ragnor asked, sounding surprised.

“Well of course I do!” Magnus said, throwing his hands up into the air dramatically. “He was so kind. I really didn’t expect it. But I did what I did and thats that.”

Ragnor shrugged. Catarina sighed disapprovingly. And Magnus simply placed the expensive gold ring onto the dining table. It was extremely pretty — what would Mr pretty boy be doing with a ring like that? Magnus feared that maybe he’d just stolen an engagement ring, or worse, a _wedding_ ring. Not that he cared. It wasn’t his problem. Pretty boy would just have to buy a new one. He didn’t normally regret his robberies. But that was usually because he stole from people who had scowled at him whilst dressed up as a beggar. Alec, unlike most citizens of New York, had been kind. And that is what made him so interesting. That, and the fact that he was dead gorgeous. His dark black messy hair and dark blue eyes gave Magnus all sorts of feelings. None, of course, that mattered. 

“Magnus? Are you okay?” Catarina asked, sounding concerned.

Magnus spun around quickly, forcing another shit eating grin in order to convince his friends that the incident with pretty boy did not affect him at all. Catarina, however, did not look convinced. Her worried gaze still pierced into Magnus’ soul and he knew that he was fooling no one but himself. Even Ragnor, who was still mostly distracted by the ring, looked somewhat concerned.

“I’m fine” he lied. “I just need to remember what I am. I’m the bad guy. The criminal.”

“Just be careful” Catarina said. “I have no doubt that this ‘pretty boy’ you stole from would have gone to the police. Does he know what you look like?”.

“I was covered in Rags” Magnus laughed. “He won’t be able to identify me at all.”

“But did he see your face?” Ragnor asked.

Magnus hesitated. “Well, kind of.”

Catarina and Ragnor shared a worried look. Magnus hated to make his friends worry, but he also hated lying to them. It was better that they knew the truth now rather than finding out later. 

“Look, he’s just an amateur” Magnus said calmly, desperately trying to assure his friends that the robbery had gone smoothly and that everything was going to be okay. “He’ll cry to the NYPD and soon enough, a new murder case will distract them and I will be forgotten.”

“The NYPD will forget, no doubt” Ragnor admitted. “But whether this ‘pretty boy’ of yours will forget, that is questionable and mostly risky.”

“What would you have me do? Kill him?” Magnus asked sarcastically. “We both know I hate the sight of blood and all the other mess that comes with cold blooded murder.”

Ragnor rolled his eyes.

“Also, I have a question” Magnus went on, seeming to get a little distracted by the thought of murder. “Why is it called cold blooded murder? When has a murder ever been warm blooded?”.

Catarina rolled her eyes this time. Ragnor simply turned away as if Magnus hadn’t said anything at all. 

“Do what you have to do with the ring and everything else you stole” he said. “But I’m going home.”

“What?” Magnus asked, his mood quickly changing to one of distress. “I thought we agreed we were sharing a nice meal together this evening.”

“You’re going to jail, my old friend” Ragnor said none to sorrowfully. “I’d rather not be here during the arrest.”

“I’m not going to jail” Magnus insisted. “The pretty boy is all looks, no brain. He’ll never be able to catch me. Or even help the NYPD at all.”

“How can you be so sure?” Catarina inquired.

“Well you can never get both brain and beauty” Magnus said.

Catarina rolled her eye again. 

“Please don’t leave me” Magnus begged.

“Sorry, old friend” Ragnor said as he started towards the door. “You can go down alone.”

“Ragnor you disloyal cow!” Catarina snapped. “He’s not going to jail!”.

“Thank you” Magnus breathed.

“But he’s right” Catarina said, glaring at Magnus. “We should leave.”

Magnus gave his friends a dark look. “This was supposed to be a happy day. Watch some movies, listen to songs, sell pretty boy’s great belongings…now I have to it all alone?”.

“Call Raphael” Ragnor suggested. “He hasn’t put up with you in a long time.”

“You’re being unfair” Magnus complained.

“Goodbye” Ragnor called out one last time before exiting the loft with a chirpy whistle. 

“I hate him” Magnus murmured underneath his breath.

“Magnus, at least return the ring” Catarina said, gesturing to the golden circular object lying on the dining table. “It could be important.”

Magnus gave her an impatient sigh. “Catarina, that ring is going to make me a wealthy man.”

“No, it's going to make your boss a wealthy man. But do what you have to do, it's up to you” Catarina said, starting towards the door. “But please note that I don’t approve.”

“You haven’t approved of my career choice since the very beginning” Magnus pointed out.

“That’s right” Catarina sighed, shaking her head. “And that’s never stopped you. I should have known.”

“Please don’t hate me” Magnus pleaded sadly.

Catarina looked at him fondly, raising her hand to brush her best friend’s cheek. “I could never hate you, Magnus. You know that. And you also know that you can do something better with yourself. Stealing, scamming, this isn’t you. Ever since Camille-“.

“Don’t” Magnus whimpered softly.

“-ever since camille broke your heart you’ve been this, this whole other person” Catarina went on. “And I know this isn’t _really_ you. You’re kind, gentle and generous. But this — you work for a person you won’t tell either Ragnor or I about. And you never allow us to talk about them. And you steal to make money. Money that you claim will benefit you. But we both know that it benefits _them._ I know you think you have no self worth. But trust me, Magnus, this isn’t you.”

Magnus stared at her, his face unchanged and unaffected by the emotions floating inside his head. Catarina’s words meant everything to him, but he couldn’t let them get to him. He had a job to do. And that job involved stealing, scamming, selling, and then paying his employee. Sometimes, it caused him to go against his morals and values — like today. But he was different now. It shouldn’t bother him. But it did. And he knew it bothered Catarina and Ragnor too. Their support meant everything to him. But sometimes their support diminished into nothing and everything seemed so wrong. 

“Goodnight, Catarina” is all he said, opening his apartment door to signify the end of their conversation.

Catarina frowned but stepped out into the hallway nonetheless. “Goodnight, Magnus. I’ll see you tomorrow, I guess. Call me if you need anything.”

Magnus shut the door behind her and simply stared at the golden ring on the table. He could no longer look at it without thinking about Catarina’s words. He had to return it. No matter how much it costed him. He was sure that the rest of the things he’d stolen would make enough money to suffice. But the ring was not going to haunt him anymore. 

 

**

Magnus waited until the NYPD had left the apartment block, leaving with their heavy equipment and useless DNA and fingerprint testing. They’d never find him — he was untraceable and mostly unknown.

Once the police cars rounded the corner and exited the street, Magnus made his way into the apartment block. On his way in, he ran into a beautiful, young, dark haired woman. Her eyes were red and puffy, indicating that she’d either been crying or was just very, very tired. She looked eerily familiar, though he couldn’t identify where he might have seen her before.

“I’m so sorry” she said apologetically, backing up so that there was a comfortable space between them.   
“It’s quite alright, my dear” Magnus said, offering her a gentle smile. “Is everything alright?”.

Panic engulfed her features and she immediately wiped at her non-existent tears. It was clear that by the looks of things, the young woman did not like showing emotions. That was okay, Magnus understood that. But something was definitely wrong. 

“I’m fine” she said eventually. “I shouldn’t even be crying. My brother has it worse.”

Magnus hid his confusion and simply nodded. “Its alright to cry. In fact, only strong people cry. The rest are too weak to admit their feelings.”

“Did you just make that up?” the young woman asked curiously.

“No, no” Magnus shook his head. “I’m sure it has been scientifically proven.”

She laughed. “Okay, Mr science guy. What ever you say.”

“Ah, I made you laugh” Magnus noted, smiling slightly. “I have done my part in the world.”

“Not just yet” she said.

Magnus raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”.

“My brother, you see, he was robbed today and-” the young woman started, and everything else faded into nothing.

Magnus could no longer hear the words coming out of her mouth, it all just sounded like a long, whirring noise. Her brother had been robbed. And coincidentally, she was exiting the same apartment building that _he_ had robbed from that same day. There was not a doubt in his mind that the young woman he was talking to was the sister of his latest victim. He felt sick to the stomach. No wonder why she’d looked so familiar. She looked exactly like her brother. _Pretty boy._

“-anyway, I shouldn’t be laying all this on a stranger” she frowned, trying to regain her composure. “I just mean to say that he could do with a laugh.”

Magnus straightened, also trying to regain his composure. “Well, I would love to. But I’m pretty sure there’s this kind of — stranger danger rule.”

“Right” she laughed. “I was just making conversation, don’t worry. I didn’t really expect you to randomly make my brother laugh. I’m pretty sure he’d punch you in the face.”

_I’m pretty sure he would,_ Magnus thought sourly, _if he saw me again._

“Anyway” she went on, holding out her hand. “I’m Isabelle, Isabelle Lightwood.”

Magnus shook her hand calmly. “Mag-Mar-Maxwell” 

“Maxwell?” Isabelle asked, sounding surprised. “That’s my little brother’s name.”

“Oh, how peculiar” Magnus said, trying to pull off a surprised expression.

He knew he couldn’t reveal his real name, or the fake name he had given _pretty boy._ He might have told his sister about the beggar and if Magnus said his name was Martin, she might grow suspicious. He tried to nod his way out of the situation, but Isabelle seemed to be quite sociable. Eventually, she excused herself and left the building. Magnus couldn’t say that he was relieved to see Isabelle go — he’d actually liked her — but he was relieved to finally do what he had originally came to do. Return the ring. He casually climbed the several flight of stairs towards room 872, where pretty boy lived. Magnus now knew the boy’s full name. Alec Lightwood. Though Magnus still preferred calling him pretty boy. Just as he was about to enter the apartment floor, he realised that Alec would be home and that if he simply entered, he’d be caught in an instant. He needed an alternate idea. He needed to climb through the balcony. He ventured outside quickly, unaffected by the sudden change of weather and the harsh winds that crossed New York. 

It didn’t take long before he was outside Alec’s bedroom. He could not see anything inside, for everything had been taken. As Magnus quietly creeped across the veranda, he caught sight of Alec sitting in the middle of the living room, a cheap phone raised towards his ear and one hand racking through his hair. He looked distressed and his voice had raised significantly through the phone as Magnus listened. He had no clue of who the boy was talking to, but the conversation did not sound friendly at all. 

“Mom, come on!” Alec shouted. “Why would I fake a robbery just to get out of a proposal? You’re being drastic. I’m in love with Lydia, I want to marry her!”.

Magnus swallowed hard as he stared down at the golden ring he held in his hands. 

“I know what you think of me!” he heard Alec shout into the phone, clearly sounding distressed. “But I-I’m not gay! I was sixteen when — when that happened. I was young and stupid.”

Magnus stared at the boy with sudden interest. Alec had stood up now, pacing the empty living room floor with furrowed eyebrows and narrowed eyes. 

“I want to get married!” Alec shouted again.

“No you don’t” Magnus murmured underneath his breath. He knew men like Alec. Men whose family did not accept them and therefore, they pretended to be someone else. Alec was gay. Sixteen year olds know their sexuality — and Aled knew his. Magnus didn’t even know the guy, but he knew Alec clearly didn’t want to marry this Lydia chick. He was trying _too hard_ to convince his mother that he wanted to marry her. So hard, that it almost sounded as though Alec was trying to convince himself.

“You know what?!” Alec shouted. “Forget it. I’ll deal with this on my own.”

He hung up the phone and smashed it to the ground. Not necessarily the smartest thing to do considering he no longer owned anything. Magnus stared down at the engagement ring in his hand. He no longer felt like he should give it back. If he did, Alec would no longer have an excuse as to why he cannot marry Lydia. It was clear that the wedding was his mother’s idea. Not his. So if Magnus could do one thing to help Alec after taking everything, it was this — keeping the ring. He couldn’t give it back. Not now that he knew that a closeted man like Alec was going to sacrifice his happiness to please his parents. Not to mention the poor young woman who would have to live apart of Alec’s lie. Slowly and silently, Magnus creeped off of the veranda and out of sight, slithering away into the chaotic streets of New York. By no means did Magnus consider himself a good person. But keeping the ring no longer felt like a selfish thing to do. He was saving Alec. And being bisexual himself, he felt the need to support those who struggle with their identity. And Alec was a good person. He didn’t deserve the robbery — nor did he deserve to marry out of duty.


	2. Sherlock Holmes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, yeah I know, I'm updating real fast. Don't expect this all the time because I tend to suffer from severe writers block. Haha. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's not real into the plot, but it is definitely significant in the lead up to chapter 3. Hope you enjoy :') 
> 
> Also, thank you for the kudos and kind comments! It really means a lot and I really appreciate each and every single one.

Alec had slept uncomfortably all night. Lying on a wooden floor wasn’t exactly a recipe for a good night’s sleep. He’d tossed and turned, but no position seemed to relieve him of the back pains and bruised head. Eventually he’d given up on sleep entirely. He knew he’d have to go shopping with Isabelle and buy himself a mattress, but considering it was still dark outside, he doubted that it would be a good idea to venture through isolated shopping centres. Not to mention he’d broken his new phone because of a heated conversation with his mother. Once again, he had no contact with the outside world. Isolated and feeling abused, he banged his head against the wall, questioning the angels as to why it was him who had to suffer and not someone like Donald Trump. He thought back to the conversation with his mother, dreading the way he had spoken to her. She had raised her voice also, accusing him of faking the robbery in order to escape marriage. Of course an accusation like that was going to fire Alec up. He wasn’t exactly the calmest person on the planet. And by no means was he composed. The fact that his own mother didn’t believe him — it hurt. She had accused him of many things in the past; not studying, sneaking out at night, avoiding her calls. But never had she accused him of faking a robbery. He knew it was because she still thought he was gay. A thought completely based off an incident that occurred when he was sixteen years old. He had since then convinced her he was straighter than a ruler. And he assumed that she had believed him. Obviously not. He’d tried so hard to please her. Changing himself entirely just to receive one plain and simple nod of approval. There was a time when Alec hadn’t been afraid of himself around his family. The words a mother says to a child, “I’ll love you unconditionally”, they don’t always apply to every situation. When Alec was caught lip-locked with another boy, unconditional love no longer became existent in the Lightwood household. His mother had beaten him mercilessly, not physically, but with words. _DISGUSTING. FREAK OF NATURE. FAGGOT._ All words that still haunt Alec to this day. She’d been so convinced that Alec wasn’t even her son. She swore that if he didn’t repent and get the right treatment, she’d send him to hell herself. 

Thankfully, his mother told no one of her discovery. Not even her husband, Alec’s father. No one but his mother knew of his darkest desires. He had thought about telling Isabelle one day, he knew he could trust her. But he’d been acting straight for so long now that he saw it as the only way to live a safe life. And he loved Lydia. He wasn’t attracted to her in any sexual way what so ever, but he loved her as a friend. He assumed that that love would build into something more when they got married. That maybe after all, he wasn’t gay. That the boy he had been when he was sixteen was just confused. But now he would never know. With the engagement ring gone and his world basically collapsing around him — a wedding was the last thing on his mind. He knew Lydia would understand. But he couldn’t help but feel like a disappointment. He wondered if the beggar knew how much trouble he had caused him. He wondered if the ‘beggar’ would even care. He just hoped that the NYPD would find the damn son of a bitch and lock him up — allowing him to retrieve his belongings and return to his seemingly normal life. 

After hours of endless over-thinking and mental torture, the sun finally began to rise, followed by dark clouds that hinted a storm. He wasn’t going to work that day — obviously. He worked for his father’s insurance company, so he knew that he would be excused from any of his daily duties. By now, the whole family would have heard about the robbery. Whether they believed him or not was a mystery. Isabelle promised that she’d bring him food supplies after work. She also promised that she would try to convince Jace to lend him some of his clothes. He was taller than Jace, so most of the shirts that his step brother owned would probably be too short. But if he was in luck, he could fit into at least one. The shirt he was currently wearing smelt of coffee and sweat. Not a pleasant mix of scents. He just wanted things to go back to normal. But due to a stupid decision on his behalf — helping a beggar — his whole world had turned upside down in just a matter of hours. 

Not long after sunrise, there was a knock on his door. He assumed it would be the NYPD asking if they could re-investigate the apartment or re-examine the note the beggar had left him. But instead, it was his sister’s boyfriend, Simon Lewis. Simon was a strange kid. A nerd. Alec would never have guessed that his sister’s type would be a nerd. Especially when she was a ten out of ten and he was approximately a five. But the kid was kind and loyal — something Alec admired about him. And one of the only reasons he allowed him to date his sister in the first place. Because everything else about the kid was annoying. He normally avoided Simon when they were forced to unite. But there was no avoiding him now when he stood at his door step. 

“Hey man” Simon greeted, his gaze quick to trail past Alec and into the completely empty apartment. “Iz told me what happened. Sucks man. She told me to give you these.”

He lifted a bag of toiletries. Inside were two bottles of men’s deodorant, toothpaste, a new toothbrush, hair gel, toilet paper, hand soap, and tissues. Alec had never been so excited over toiletries in his life. And for once, he really appreciated Simon’s existence.

“Thank you” he said gratefully as he took the bag from Simon. “Tell my sister I love her when you see her.”

“You can do that yourself” Simon said. “She might get confused. You know, since we both love her.”

Alec rolled his eyes. _Here he was,_ he thought sourly, _annoying Simon._

“Anyway, do the NYPD have any leads on who robbed you?” Simon asked, stepping inside the apartment without any invitation. “I mean, he must be a good criminal. He literally took everything.”

“If they do have any leads, they haven’t told me” Alec sighed.

Simon wandered around the apartment as if he were Sherlock Holmes. He studied the walls, the windows and the balcony, tapping his chin thoughtfully like he was on TV. Alec simply watched him with mild curiosity, still trying to figure out what his sister saw in him. He often found himself staring at Simon with a tilted head and confused expression. He assumed Simon had grown accustomed to the expression because he no longer reacted to it. 

“No sign of forced entry” he noted.

“Well if there were any sign of a forced entry, the feds would have already resolved and investigated it now wouldn’t they?” Alec asked sarcastically. 

Simon continued his examinations as if Alec hadn’t said anything at all. 

“Did they leave any form of evidence?” he asked.

Alec forced himself not to roll his eyes. “A note. He left a note. And before you ask, the feds already checked them for fingerprints. They found nothing.”

“Can I read it?” Simon asked instead.

“Go ahead” Alec said, pointing to the lined piece of paper that lay on the kitchen table. “It’s right there.”

Simon read the note without a moments hesitation. He seemed amused by it, which only seemed to annoy Alec further. 

“What’s so funny?” he asked sourly.

“Nothing” Simon chuckled as he put the note back down. “He just wrote ‘ _lots of love and sexual attraction’_ and I think that is rather funny.”

“Well I don’t” Alec said bluntly.

Simon just raised an eyebrow and continued examining the apartment. He’d always wanted to be a private investigator — like Sherlock Holmes. And this was his chance to finally put his skills into practice. But he really couldn’t find anything suspicious or out of the ordinary. His detective skills still needed a little bit of work. 

“Simon?” Alec asked, trying to sound as polite as possible. “Is there anything else you wanted?”.

Simon shook his head, instinctively starting towards the door before Alec awkwardly asked him to leave. He knew that Alec was dealing with a top notch criminal and that if Alec had even the slightest chance of catching him, it wasn’t going to be with the NYPD’s help. The federal department played it too safe. In order to capture an intelligent criminal like this one, Alec needed to work on his own, using his encounter to his advantage.

“You can catch him, you know” he said before his future brother and law could kick him out. “The NYPD will never find him. They have priorities you know.”

“This isn’t one of your video games or nerd shows, Simon” Alec sighed. “The police are the law and the law will seek justice. The bastard who did this will be punished.”

“In hell, maybe” Simon frowned. “But they’ll never find him here on Earth. If you really want him punished, you’re going to have to it yourself.”

“And how am I supposed to do that?” Alec asked.

Simon smiled and pointed to his brain. “Observe, deduce and investigate.”

Alec gave him a blank look.

“Wait I have an idea!” Simon said excitedly. “I’ll lend you my computer and you can watch the first three seasons of Sherlock.”

“I really don’t want to do that I-“.

“It’ll help” Simon assured him. “Trust me, you’ll learn a lot.”

Alec gave him a doubtful look. “Thanks but I really doubt it’ll improve my non existent detective skills.”

“Well, I’ll see you later then” Simon said, starting towards the door.

Alec sighed in relief, thanking the God above for his mercy. Most people feared loneliness. Alec embraced it. He would rather be alone than stuck in a room with Simon Lewis for more than what was absolutely necessary. 

Once Simon left, babbling on about nerd stuff that Alec mostly could not understand, Alec was left alone once again in his empty apartment with nothing but a smashed phone and bag filled with toiletries. It wasn’t ideal. But he knew that his sister would be there for him in the afternoon with food supplies. That thought was enough to keep him going throughout the rest of the day. 

 

**

 

Magnus had sold everything he’d stolen from Alec’s apartment. Everything except the engagement ring and a few photographs that his boss did not want. He felt guilty still, knowing full well that he had taken Alec’s kindness for granted. But the money he now had in his bank account overshadowed that guilt and made him feel slightly more comfortable with the idea that he was a heartless criminal. As the New York sun rose above his loft and shone brightly through his window, he examined the six photographs he’d stolen from Alec. The first photograph was of three children. Two of them were easily recognisable. Alec and Isabelle in their early teenage years. They looked mostly the same. However, Isabelle wore less make up and Alec’s hair covered his eyes. The other was a blonde boy, looking around the same age as Isabelle. He was standing in between the two Lightwoods, his arms wrapped around each of them. His smile was wide and he looked genuinely happy. Magnus shrugged, assuming he was a friend of the family. The next photograph was of Alec and Isabelle in their adult years, both wearing happy smiles and designer Nike shoes. Magnus skimmed through the rest of the photos curiously until his eyes rested on the last photograph. A photograph with Alec and a young blonde woman. They had their arms wrapped around each other affectionately. But while the young woman was smiling and leaning in towards Alec. Alec had a dead pan expression on his face and was leaning away. Magnus had no doubt in his mind that the young woman in this photograph was Alec’s girlfriend. The girlfriend that Alec was planning to propose to. Without meaning to, he felt his gaze turn towards the engagement ring that lay rested on his bedside table. He should have sold it. But did not. He still felt as though the ring could mean something. But what? That he did not know. 

Before he could regain his heartless criminal composure, his door bell rang and snapped him out of his thoughts. Catarina Loss opened the door without invitation and entered the loft, her tired eyes quick to observe that Magnus had done his bidding and was now at rest. 

“When do you plan to strike again?” she asked, unable to hide the disapproval in her voice. 

“And hello to you too” Magnus said sarcastically. 

“Did you at least return the ring?” she asked, ignoring his sarcastic comment. 

“No” he admitted. “But before you yell at me, I have my reasons.”

Catarina glared at him. “And what reasons would that be?”.

“He doesn’t want to propose” he said, attempting to sound as though the topic bored him. “It was his parents idea. I’m sure of it.”

“And how on earth could you possibly know that?” Catarina inquired.

“I may or may not have overheard a phone call” he answered honestly.

Catarina gave him a hard look. “Honestly, Magnus. You’re going to get yourself arrested one day.”

“You’ll bail me out, right?” he asked with a nervous smile.

“You wish” she said sourly. “Anyway, I’m not here to talk about your illegal activities. I’m here to discuss Tessa’s birthday celebrations.”

“Oh yes!” Magnus clapped his hands together in excitement. “I’d almost forgotten!”.

She gave him a disapproving look before continuing. “Ragnor and I decided that we could host it at the Pandemonium. What do you think of that?”.

“Do I get to choose the music?” Magnus asked.

“I suppose so.”

“Then yes” Magnus agreed, smiling widely. “The pandemonium sounds great!”.

Catarina smiled and let out a small, excited squeal. “Great! She’s going to love it!”. 

“Wait, how come I hadn’t been informed of these preparations before hand?” he asked, suddenly feeling a little offended. “You know I love planning parties!”.

“You’ve been busy with-“ she waved her hand out lazily in front of her face. “-you know, criminal stuff.”

Magnus narrowed his eyes. “I can still help plan a party for one of my best friends.”

“Well, you’ve been included now” Catarina shrugged. “I’ve got to go.”

“So soon?” Magnus asked.

“Yes” Catarina insisted. “The party is tomorrow night, remember?”.

“Well let me come too” Magnus said, starting towards the door. “I can help.”

“Ragnor and I have got this Magnus” Catarina said, stopping him from passing her with a gentle hand to the chest. “You can’t risk being seen.”

“What do you mean?” he asked a little too harshly.

“Well…” Catarina began, struggling to find the right words to use in her explanation. “Ragnor and I have been talking and-“.

“And what?” Magnus urged.

“Well, you said the boy you robbed from had seen you, right?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Magnus nodded.

“Then the NYPD will have an idea of what you look like” she continued on. “And if you’re caught, it’ll ruin Tessa’s birthday.”

Magnus understood what his friend was saying. But he couldn’t help but still feel a little offended. Tessa wasn’t just her friend, she was his too. In fact, he and Tessa were a lot closer than both Ragnor and Catarina combined.

“I am still invited to the party, right?” he asked.

“Of course!” Catarina said, reassuring him with a gentle smile. “But for now, you need to stay clear of detection.”

Magnus frowned, but nodded anyway. He knew that Catarina was right. If Alec had recognised him and described his physique to the police — he could be caught. And not only that. But he could drag his friends down with him. So with a sad smile and another nod of acceptance, he lead Catarina outside, trying his best to refrain from a miserable expression. He doubted that Catarina would care anyway. She had a party to plan. 

“I’m sorry it has to be this way” she said, leaning forward to press a light kiss on his cheek. “But it’s for your own good.”

“And Tessa’s” Magnus pointed out.

Catarina nodded.

They parted ways and Magnus was left alone to return to his thoughts. The encounter with Alec Lightwood had really played a significant role in his life. At first, it had seemed as though it would be just another robbery. But now, he was feeling things he’d never felt before. Guilt, regret and despair. It was rather strange. And he did not like it all. But he wasn’t going to let it ruin his day. He was going to redesign his ‘poor beggar’ outfit so that tomorrow, he could carry out his scamming without a dumbfounded police officer recognising him. 

 

**

 

The afternoon came around a lot slower than Alec had originally anticipated. He spent the day sitting in his living room, humming to the rhythm to imagine dragons songs, hoping that time would be merciful and come sooner than the day before. But time was merciless and the afternoon took a long, long time to arrive. But when it did — it welcomed Isabelle; with her promised food supplies, Simon; with his Sherlock Dvd’s, Jace; with a bag of spare clothes, and Clary; with a friendly smile and a brand new TV in her hands. Alec was surprised at the sudden amount of people in his apartment. But he was more surprised by the fact that Clary Fray, a tiny redhead with barely any muscles, was carrying a brand new TV into the apartment, all on her own. 

“Well this is awfully glum” Jace said as a greeting, absorbing the emptiness that surrounded him. “They really took _everything,_ huh?”.

“Everything” Alec sighed. 

They put down their bags and helped Clary set up the TV. They spent about half an hour rummaging through red, yellow and white plugs, arguing over which one went where. Alec did not participate in the set up. Instead, he sat down on the floor and dove into the packet of chips that Isabelle had brought him. He was starving. He hadn’t eaten properly in days. 

Eventually, the TV was on and ready to be watched. Simon insisted that they watched Sherlock, much to Alec, Isabelle and Jace’s dismay. They did not care for a detective series about an arrogant lad from England who had superhuman deduction skills. Alec was mostly interested in the supernatural, Isabelle was interested in reality Tv, and Jace enjoyed sports. Clary was the only other person other than Simon that was actually pleased to be able to watch the British television series. It was rather funny, Alec thought, that Jace and Isabelle had fallen in love with two complete nerds. Maybe it was true, opposites really did attract after all. After a few minutes of senseless bickering, Alec found himself sitting on the floor in between Jace and Isabelle, watching Benedict Cumberbatch play a tall, snobby white detective with the ability to know every little detail about someone just by observing a few scratches on a phone. Oddly, he found it interesting and rather intriguing. Unlike Jace and Isabelle who were bored to the point where they had almost fallen asleep several times, Alec had found himself leaning forward, eyes wide in suspense. He never really liked crime shows. But Sherlock was different. It explored something that no other crime show did. It explored the importance of observation and deduction. Without those two fundamental truths, there was no true investigating at all. He wondered now if he should have became a detective. He wasn’t as intelligent or as observant as Sherlock Holmes, but unlike some detectives he had encountered in the past, he did not lack common sense. 

When the first episode ended, Jace and Isabelle awoke from their merciless slumber of boredom and begged Simon not to make them watch another episode. To everyone’s surprise, it was Alec who clicked ‘next episode’.

“Are you mad?” Jace asked.

“What?” Alec asked.

“Why are you making us go through another episode?” Isabelle complained, crossing her arms over her chest unhappily.

“It’s a good show” Alec said, much to Simon’s pleasure. “What’s the problem?”.

“It’s boring” Jace said.

“I fell asleep!” Isabelle added.

Alec rolled his eyes. “It’s not _that_ bad.”

“Shhh!” Clary hissed. “It’s starting.”

They all watched the next episode in silence. Alec, Simon and Clary watched the screen like a hawk. Suspense and excitement the only emotions bubbling up inside their stomachs. Jace and Isabelle didn’t fall asleep. But they were bored and desperately wanted the episode to end so that they could do something _fun._ Alec didn’t think a television series could have such an affect on him. But Sherlock did. The way he spoke, the way he observed — Alec was immediately captivated by him. He admired him. Sort of like the way a kid admires a superhero and a teenage girl admires their favourite 1D member. He wanted to be _him._ It was strange, but also rather fulfilling. It made him want to be a detective. It made him want to find the thief who’d stolen his engagement ring, who’d stolen all of his belongings, who’d stolen his life. It made him want to seek justice for himself — and everyone else who had suffered by ‘the beggars’ hands. Sherlock made the police look useless. And Alec felt as though the NYPD _were_ useless. He wanted to put the thief behind bars, just like Sherlock put his criminals behind bars. Could he do it? 

“Ugh, finally” Isabelle said in relief, snatching the remote control off of Alec before he could click ‘next episode’. “It’s over.”

“Now what?” Jace asked, glad that it was over, but also wondering what they were going to do next.

“We could watch another episode” Simon suggested.

“No!” Isabelle and Jace both shouted together.

Simon frowned. “Okay, okay. It was just a suggestion.”

“How’s Lydia?” Clary asked, changing the subject. “How’s she dealing with all this, the robbery?”.

Alec hesitated. He hadn’t exactly told Lydia about it yet. He was afraid that he’d ruin her time at work — destroy whatever hopes she had at becoming a future leader in the white house. He knew it was wrong of him to keep it from her. Especially when it was some of _her_ belongings that had been stolen too. But he just couldn’t bring himself to deliver the news. To hear her gasp and cry. He loved her. Even if it felt a little forced. There was no doubt in his mind that he loved her. No matter what his mother accused him of. 

“You have told her right?” Isabelle asked, sounding concerned.

“No” Alec admitted shamefully. “But I will. Soon.”

“Mhm” Jace said doubtfully.

Alec glared at his adoptive brother. “I will.”

“Oh I don’t doubt you brother” Jace said with a smirk. “Actually, no, wait, I do.”

Alec rolled his eyes and Isabelle shoved the blonde boy harshly in the side. The rest of the afternoon/evening consisted of a game of Truth or Dare, teasing Simon, drinking gallons of water, and fighting over what to watch on TV. But whilst his siblings and their respective partners fought, Alec’s mind was elsewhere. Deep in the world of Sherlock Holmes. He thought about the way the detective held himself. His emotionless gaze masked behind a mind filled with intelligible knowledge and insightful observations. Alec wanted to _be_ him. Maybe not the arrogant and emotionless version of him. But the intelligent, observant and determined version. He’d always wanted to do something engaging and exciting in his career. A detective would fulfil his long-wanted desires and allow him to contribute something beneficial to society. Instead, he worked for his father’s insurance company. Nothing exciting and engaging about that. 

Working for the NYPD didn’t seem like a bad job. Sure, it wasn’t heavy detective work. But it was better than sitting around in an office all day. Jace’s girlfriend, Clary, had a step-dad who was a police officer working for the NYPD. He seemed to enjoy it. Not that Alec had had an in depth conversation about it. The only time they had ever spoken was at Luke’s wedding to Jocelyn, Clary’s mother. He wondered if he would be a different person if he was a detective. Would he be happier? More successful? Dating a smart and intelligent woman like Lydia? He would never know. What he did know, however, was that he wanted to find the man who had stolen everything from him. He still had his family, so maybe not everything. But all his belongings were gone. His engagement ring gone. Lydia’s belongings — gone. The thief deserved to pay. Justice in New York was very rare, close to non-existent. But Alec was going to find it. He knew he would never get his belongings back, the bastard had probably already sold everything. But justice was the only thing that made him feel better about the fact that everything had been stolen from. He was going to find the beggar. He didn’t have to _be_ Sherlock Holmes. He just needed to be determined enough to find Justice. 


	3. Magnus Bane

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're reading this, thank you for making it this far into my fanfic ahaha. Chapter three is here and I don't know, I hope you like it. I had a lot of fun writing it. Enjoy :')

“Give it up, Bane” Alec snarled.

Magnus smirked, refusing to let a detective wannabe like Alec intimidate him. He was not a fool, he knew that _legally,_ Alec could do nothing but rely on the police. And the police weren’t coming. It was just him and Alec, standing only metres away from one another in an abandoned alley way, stinking of wet dog and sewer. 

“And why would I do that?” Magnus said, his voice light and chirpy, an interesting contradiction to the deep and raspy voice of Alec. “I’ve had so much fun running away from you. I’ve never had someone so _sexy_ chasing after me.”

Alec rolled his eyes, not for the first time that night. “You’re a heartless criminal. You’ve been caught.”

“Heartless criminal?” Magnus asked, pretending to sound amused. “I think you’ve been watching too many detective shows, pretty boy. Criminals are not heartless. They do care — about themselves that is.”

Alec opened his mouth to say something, but Magnus held up a hand to stop him.

“What exactly are you going to do, pretty boy?” he asked, his confident stride forward intimidating Alec more than it should have. “You’ve got no phone, no way to contact the NYPD, and, much to my disappointment, no handcuffs. So tell me, what _exactly_ are you going to do?”.

If Alec were Sherlock Holmes, he would have known exactly what to say. But he was not Sherlock Holmes. He was Alec. He was the tall, lanky, and shy kid from New York. He stuttered when he was nervous, he blushed when he was nervous, and he remained silent when he was nervous. There was nothing remarkable about him. There was nothing _Sherlock_ about him. 

So instead of answering Magnus’ question, he bowed his head, knowing full well that there was nothing he could do. Magnus took this opportunity to slide past him and out into the street, a shit eating grin feeding Alec’s already fired up anger. 

“You may walk free for now, _Bane,_ but I will find you!” Alec warned him.

Magnus spread his arms out wide. “Catch me if you can, pretty boy. And next time, bring a phone and some handcuffs. Things could get interesting!!”.

Before Alec could swear and curse, bashing Magnus’ name into the cement with words that were better left unspoken, the criminal was gone. It was like he hadn’t even been there at all. And Alec was left alone in the alley way — disappointment the only thing walking him home. 

 

~ Two Hours Earlier ~

 

New York was said to be the greatest city in the world. With concrete jungles where dreams were made of, bright lights that were supposed to be inspiring, and streets that could make you feel special — important. But by no means were the citizens of New York the greatest population of people in the world. In fact, Magnus could quite safely say that they were the worst. Heartless creatures, the whole lot of them. 

He’d spent the first two viciously cold hours of his early Saturday morning on the streets — begging. He felt like a peasant, the kind that Kings and Queens stomped on. And the citizens of New York were those Kings and Queens. The kind that overlooked peasants and saw them as lesser beings. 

He was glad that he was not a _real_ beggar. He knew for certain that he would have not been able to survive. He was not made for that kind of living. He supposed — with some sorrowful glumness — that no one was made for that kind of living.

He’d made two dollars in the past two hours, not nearly enough to please his boss. Of course, he could have planned another robbery. But that took time. And time, Magnus did not have. He had a party to prepare for. Tessa’s party. _Tessa_. She was one of his best friends, his closest. She was always there for him, one of the first to be there in his deepest and darkest times. However, despite how close they were, Tessa was the only one of his friends that did not know about his notorious criminal life style. He did not doubt that Tessa would accept his spontaneous career path, however, he could not bring himself to destroy the pride in her eyes whenever she looked at him. 

He’d already bought her a birthday present. He’d been planning for this day for quite some time. Although gift giving was not among his many, many talents, he had found the perfect gift for his friend. Tessa loved reading, it was something that Magnus had first admired about her when they met. Her appreciation for literature made his heart swell with delight. He had never met anyone quite like her. And although there were no romantic feelings shared between them — Magnus felt as though they were soulmates — the friendship kind. So he brought her two classical novels that he _knew_ she would love. _Moby-Dick_ by Herman Melville and _Of mice and men_ by John Steinbeck. Magnus had been horrified to hear that she had not yet read the two memorable classics. Her excuse, as always, was “ _there is too much to read, Magnus”._ Magnus, from that day forward, made it his quest to introduce Tessa to two of his most favourite classics. And now his quest was complete. 

The morning dragged on like an endless amount of time spent lingering around in a doctors waiting room. Seconds felt like minutes and minutes felt like hours. Time was slow. Time was merciless. And time was being wasted. Two dollars was not the most successful amount of money he had earned whilst begging. But it was something. Maybe it was his new rags — maybe they were putting people off. With his head in the clouds, trying to conjure up a beggars outfit that could look somewhat attractive, he hadn’t noticed a pair of two familiar dark haired siblings heading his way. It wasn’t until one of them spoke, that he realised the sudden dilemma fate conjured up for him.

“I mean, I don’t understand why mom is so angry” Isabelle Lightwood was saying, her arm linked easily with her brother’s. “It’s not like any of her things had been stolen.”

“Mom’s mom” Alec said, his mind elsewhere.

“Well I know that” Isabelle frowned. “I just would have thought she would have been a little more, you know, _sympathetic._ ”.

Alec laughed, but there was no humour in it. “When has mom ever been sympathetic?”.

Isabelle thought for a moment, looking like she was actually going to respond to her brother’s question, but quickly changed her mind, resorting to a simple shrug instead. Magnus was staring at them both, his eyes wide. He couldn’t help but let himself examine Alec Lightwood’s physique. He had an athlete’s body, although, Magnus doubted the boy was a sportsman of any kind. He reminded Magnus of a businessman. The shy type. Before he could even thing to make a run for it, Alec met his gaze, and the boy froze, causing his sister to look up at him with concern.

“Alec?” she asked.

“I-It’s the beggar…t-the bastard who-“ he pointed at Magnus, but by the time Isabelle had turned her head to follow her brother’s gaze, the ‘beggar’ had made a run for it.

“Hey!” Alec shouted, starting after the thief. “Hey! Come back here!”.

Magnus had always wondered why people shouted ‘come back here’ when someone was clearly trying to escape them. Did they honestly think that if someone had started to run away from them, three words as simple as ‘come back here’ were going to make a person stop and return to their threat? No, of course it wouldn’t. It was stupid and clearly a bad choice of wording. 

Magnus glanced over his shoulder, hoping to find that _pretty boy_ had given up trying to catch him. But to his dismay, Alec was right at his tail, his lips pursed in an adorable look of determination. He cursed silently, regretting his decision to not work out regularly. He was born with a spectacular body — there was no reason for him to work out. But here he was now, running in the crowded streets of New York, struggling to catch his breath and keep his legs from giving way underneath him. He considered himself to be quite fast. But he was sort of like like a Cheetah. He could only run fast for short periods of time. Unlike the antelope — in this case Alec — who could travel at a decent speed for longer periods of time. Unlike Sia, he did not have _stamina._ Alec was dangerously close to snatching him up and pinning him to the ground. So close, that Magnus needed to think of a way of distracting Alec. And fast. 

“You know!” he shouted, his voice surprisingly steady considering his immense struggle to catch his breath. “It would be a lot easier for the both of us if we had a nice, mature, conversation about this!”.

Alec did not reply, and if he had, it was lost in the crowded street they were running through. Magnus needed a diversion — and fast. Alec was still at his tail. He pushed past a young business woman and her dog, accidentally — well maybe not by accident — shoved her in front of Alec, causing the young man to fall on top of her. He laughed loud enough for the crowd around him to hear it. And Alec apologised to the woman, helping her to her feet just as a gentlemen should. But unfortunately for Magnus, Alec continued in his pursue for justice. There was a greater space between them now, but not nearly enough for Magnus to risk taking a break. Alec was determined, Magnus would give the boy that, but he was not going to be caught. He was better than this — smarter. This was all just a coincidence. A coincidence Magnus had _not_ prepared for. He risked another glance over his shoulder, not surprised to see Alec a few metres away, his eyes narrowed and his hair blowing backwards in the wind. Cursing, he ran faster, begging his lungs to let him escape, just this once. He turned left down Maiden Lane, a street littered with women’s laundry, young children, and one or two stray cats. Alec followed suit behind him, his speed unfaltering and his determination impressive. Magnus leaped over a pile of trash cans and shoved them backwards in an attempt to sabotage Alec. His plan failed — Alec simply threw them out of the way. Magnus’ escape plan was clearly not working. This had never happened to him before. Sure, he’d had to run away from angry policeman and irritated bouncers plenty of times, but eventually, they all gave up. But not Alec. He was starting to become a pain in Magnus’ backside — and lungs. Magnus could no longer breathe. Nor could he keep running. 

Eventually, he stopped running altogether. A sudden halt that caused Alec to crash right into him, causing them both to topple to the ground. Under any other circumstances, Magnus would have been delighted to have a man as handsome as Alec on top of him. But during this particular encounter, he wanted nothing more than for Alec to _not_ be on top of him. Thankfully, Alec got up instantly. But before Magnus could even think to stand, Alec’s foot was on his chest, forcing him down. 

“Well, this was _not_ how I planned to spend my morning” Magnus said, staring up at Alec with an unreadable expression.

Alec glared down at him, his gaze steady and unwavering. “What’s your name, _thief?_ ”. 

“I thought I already told you, it’s Martin.”

“Liar!” Alec snapped. 

“Okay, you’re right. That’s not my name” Magnus sighed, pretending to look sincere. “It’s actually Maxwell.”

“Try again” Alec suggested.

Magnus frowned. “Matthew.”

“Real name, please.”

“Michael.”

“I’m serious. Real name.”

“Mark.”

“Don’t believe you.”

“Miguel.”

Alec pressed his foot down harder on Magnus’ chest, causing the thief to yield.

“Okay, okay!” he said frantically. “My name is Magnus, Magnus Bane.”

Alec didn’t know what it was exactly that made him believe the thief this time round. Maybe it was because he looked defeated, or because he assumed he’d ran out of names, or maybe because this time, the thief had offered a last name too. Magnus Bane. The name suited the face. And Alec believed him. 

He released the pressure on his chest and allowed the man some air to breathe. Magnus took this as an opportunity to kick Alec’s legs out underneath him, causing the giant pretty boy to crash to the ground. Magnus acted quickly, rising to his feet in order to be the superior. He placed a heavy foot on Alec’s chest, a shit eating grin on his face as he did so. 

“Oh wow” he said, his eyes lighting up at the sight of a vulnerable Alec. “You did look good as a top, but oh how stunning you look as a _bottom_.”

Alec looked horrified to be spoken to in such a way — this only made Magnus’ shit eating grin widen.

“Sorry, sorry” Magnus went on, pretending to look apologetic. “I don’t have a filter between my mouth and my brain, you see. I say what I think. And would you like to know what I think, pretty boy?”.

“No” Alec said through gritted teeth.

“Well I’m going to tell you anyway” Magnus grinned. “I think you are dead gorgeous, but a fool nonetheless. Did you really think chasing me through New York was going to work?”.

“It did, didn’t it?” Alec asked. “Until I made a mistake and let you _breathe._ ”.

“You can’t afford to make mistakes in this line of work” Magnus told him, still grinning. 

Alec glared up at him, his already dark blue eyes somehow darkening. He said nothing though, unable to form the words that would intimidate Magnus Bane in to surrendering. Magnus, convinced that Alec was unarmed and had no _real_ way of throwing him into prison, withdrew his foot off of Alec and allowed him to stand. The boy rose without hesitation, his gaze steady and dangerous. Magnus simply smiled at him.

“I want my things back!” he snapped.

Magnus pretended to look clueless. “What things?”.

“The things you stole from me, you bastard!” Alec hissed.

“I have a father you know” Magnus told him. “He’s just not around. So technically, I’m not a bar-“.

“My things, _Bane_ ” Alec growled.

Magnus sighed, pretending to look somewhat regretful. “I’m afraid that they’re all gone, my friend. I sold them. Made a lot of money too. Thanks for that.”

“You son of a bitch!” Alec shouted.

“Hey” Magnus said, raising an eyebrow. “That’s my mother you’re talking about!”.

Alec looked just about ready to punch him in the face. Surprisingly, he didn’t. 

“The ring” he said, his voice deep and raspy.

“The ring?” Magnus asked. “As in the horror movie?”.

Alec remained emotionless. “You sold it, didn’t you?”.

Magnus hadn’t in fact, sold the ring. He had planned to, but thought better of it. The ring was actually in his loft — but there was no way he was going to tell Alec that. Instead he simply shrugged, preparing himself for an explosion — more specifically a punch in the face. But Alec was calm — angry — but calm. Magnus couldn’t say he was surprised. He assumed that pretty boy had already gotten used to the fact that he was never getting the ring back.

“Can I go now?” Magnus asked, attempting to pass Alec without any fuss whatsoever. 

“Not so fast” Alec said, stepping to the side, blocking his pass. “You’re going to prison.”

“Am I?” Magnus asked, looking around at the empty street they were standing in. “I don’t see any cops.”

“Give it up, Bane” Alec snarled.

Magnus smirked, refusing to let a detective wannabe like Alec intimidate him. He was not a fool, he knew that _legally,_ Alec could do nothing but rely on the police. And the police weren’t coming. It was just him and Alec, standing only metres away from one another in an abandoned alley way, stinking of wet dog and sewer. 

“And why would I do that?” Magnus said, his voice light and chirpy, an interesting contradiction to the deep and raspy voice of Alec. “I’ve had so much fun running away from you. I’ve never had someone so _sexy_ chasing after me.”

Alec rolled his eyes, not for the first time that night. “You’re a heartless criminal. You’ve been caught.”

“Heartless criminal?” Magnus asked, pretending to sound amused. “I think you’ve been watching too many detective shows, pretty boy. Criminals are not heartless. They do care — about themselves that is.”

Alec opened his mouth to say something, but Magnus held up a hand to stop him.

“What exactly are you going to do, pretty boy?” he asked, his confident stride forward intimidating Alec more than it should have. “You’ve got no phone, no way to contact the NYPD, and, much to my disappointment, no handcuffs. So tell me, what _exactly_ are you going to do?”.

If Alec were Sherlock Holmes, he would have known exactly what to say. But he was not Sherlock Holmes. He was Alec. He was the tall, lanky, and shy kid from New York. He stuttered when he was nervous, he blushed when he was nervous, and he remained silent when he was nervous. There was nothing remarkable about him. There was nothing _Sherlock_ about him. 

So instead of answering Magnus’ question, he bowed his head, knowing full well that there was nothing he could do. Magnus took the opportunity to slide past him and out into the street, a shit eating grin feeding Alec’s already fired up anger. 

“You may walk free for now, but I will find you!” Alec warned him.

Magnus spread his arms out wide. “Catch me if you can, pretty boy.  And next time, bring a phone and some handcuffs. Things could get interesting!!”.

Before Alec could swear and curse, bashing Magnus’ name into the cement with words that were better left unspoken, the criminal was gone. It was like he hadn’t even been there at all. And Alec was left alone in the alley way — disappointment the only thing walking him home. 

 

**

 

“I had him!” Alec told Isabelle, his voice loud and quick, his hands up in the air moving with every word he spoke. “And he got away!”.

“Whoa” Isabelle said, trying to make sense of the whole situation. “What did you say his name was again?”.

“Magnus Bane” Alec said, his eyes darkening at the sound of his name.

“We have to go to the police!” Isabelle said. “His name could be a fundamental part of the investigation.”

“No” Alec said firmly.

Isabelle looked at him as if he’d just stripped naked and learnt another language. “What?”.

“The NYPD are useless” he said, brushing it off as if it were common knowledge. “I can do this myself.”

“Okay, you’re starting to scare me” Isabelle said, shaking her head. “What exactly do you plan to do to this guy? How are you supposed to send him to prison _by yourself?_ ”.

Alec started to pace the empty living room, his eyes never leaving the wooden floor. “I’ll catch him and hand him in myself. Simple.”

“Simple?” Isabelle echoed, staring at her brother incredulously. “Alec, you’re not bloody Sherlock Holmes!”.

Alec raised his head only for a second before lowering it again. “Fine. We’ll go to the police. But not just any police man. We need to find Luke.”

 

**

 

Magnus was surprisingly calm despite his unexpected encounter with Alec Lightwood. He was still alive and free — maybe that was why he hadn’t crumbled into a pool of despair. He wasn’t worried about Alec’s threats to catch him and send him to prison. He was more concerned with the fact that he had nothing to wear to Tessa’s birthday party. He searched the web for inspirational outfits, for something that would make him look glorious, something that would make him stand out. But the internet was not as useful as Magnus had hoped it would be. So instead, he spent the next couple of hours destroying his neatly organised drawer and colour coordinated wardrobe. 

Eventually, he decided to wear tight, garnet coloured jeans. They clung to his leg, outlining his calf muscles and giving off the impression that he was most desirable. The golden belt he wore around his waist, added to Magnus’ _desirable_ fashion sense. Finding a shirt was the hardest part. He did not simply want to wear a black or white shirt. Black and white matched with everything. They were a safe choice. Magnus did not want to play it safe. Fashion was a game. And he was one of the best players there is. Eventually he decided to wear a sapphire blue collared shirt. He wasn’t going to be too excessive with his fashion for Tessa’s party. He didn’t want to out-dress the birthday girl. He was a nice person like that. However, he did go a little overboard with his make up. Glittered eyeshadow was his favourite type of eyeshadow. It made him not only look fabulous, but feel fabulous too.

_If only pretty boy could see me now_ , he thought to himself, a wicked grin brightening up his features. 

It wasn’t long before it was time to leave. He had everything laid out in front of him on the dining table. His phone, his wallet, Tessa’s presents, and a hairbrush. He was ready. 

Just as he was about to gather his things and leave, his phone rang, an alarming sound that caused Magnus to jump backwards. He answered the phone hastily, grimacing as he prepared himself for an unpleasant conversation with Ragnor Fell. As much as he loved his friend, the man often lacked loyalty and had a little too much judgement for his own good. 

“You answered the phone” Ragnor said instead of a polite ‘hi’ or ‘hello’.

“Yes, well, that is generally what people do when their phone rings” Magnus told his friend.

“Yes, yes, I know that!” Ragnor hissed. “But I thought you had been arrested!”.

“And why would you think that?” Magnus asked.

There was a long pause. 

“Ragnor?” Magnus urged.

“Word on the street was that you had been chased down Maiden Lane” Ragnor started, his voice surprisingly calm. “Raphael told me. He’d been shopping near by. He called me to tell me that you had been caught by a fed or something and that you were going to prison.”

Magnus rolled his eyes — Raphael was always so _dramatic._

“I feared the worse” Ragnor went on. “I even started gathering my savings in order to pay for a lawyer.”

“It’s nice to know that you care, my friend” Magnus said with a light chuckle. “But I wasn’t being chased by a fed. I was being chased by _pretty boy_ , he caught me begging and recognised me. It was perfectly fine.”

Another long pause.

“Perfectly fine?!” Ragnar exploded. “I knew this would happen! That if your not careful your victims will rise up against you and chase you down the streets of New York.”

“I don’t remember that conversation” Magnus murmured.

“Magnus!” Ragnor snapped. “This isn’t just one of your little games. This is your life!”.

“Exactly” Magnus replied. “It’s _my_ life. Why do you and Catarina insist on trying to run it?”.

“To protect you, Magnus” Ragnor said in a softer tone. “It was only a matter of time before you were going to rob someone who had the determination to find you.”

Magnus laughed. “I’m not worried about Alec Lightwood.”

“Is that his name, then?” Ragnor asked. 

“Yes” Magnus said, glancing at his watch. “And I’m going to be late for Tessa’s birthday party!”.

“Stay out of sight” Ragnor warned.

“Yes yes” Magnus said, and without another word, hung up the phone.

As much as Magnus appreciated his friends concern, it often became a little too overwhelming to constantly listen to it. He was an adult — not a child. He could look after himself. He supposed none of their concern mattered tonight, it was Tessa’s birthday. 

With one last glance at the clock, he gathered his things and left the room. A party would do him some good. A party, would release him from any concern he had about his encounter with Alec Lightwood. An encounter that he would probably never forget. And he couldn’t help but replay Alec’s words inside his head. _You may walk free for now, Bane, but I will find you!_ At the time, he had simply laughed it off. But now, remembering just how determined pretty boy had been, he no longer doubted Alec’s capability to find him. He felt like Icarus, flying too close to the sun. And Alec was that sun. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, I hope you enjoyed. Please note that these characters are not mine and belong to Cassandra Clare. And if you want more, don't forget to leave a kudos and comment. Thank you!


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